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Published: August 3rd 2006
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Bikes Everywhere
Bikes are the transportation of choice. Either ride one, or get out of the way of those who do. Konnichi wa!
Let me tell you about my excursion to the ancient capital city of Kyoto. After getting back to Tokyo from my two days in Hiroshima, I again got on the bullet train (this time entirely on my own) and once again headed south. The ride went smoothly and I arrived at Kyoto Station no problem. The hotel I stayed at was actually right next door and I checked in to what turned out to be a much bigger room than my last place.
From there I walked outside and across a plaza to this massive building complex that was home to a shopping center, several restaurants, and the Kyoto Prefectural International Center. It was a very cool office where the staff spoke every language imaginable. The whole point of it’s existence is to help visitors find their way around no matter where they are from. The lady who helped me was very sweet and after 10 minutes I had a city map with every spot I wanted to see circled in red.
From their I bought a $5 all-day bus pass and headed toward an area known as “The Path of Philosophy.” Basically I spent the afternoon walking from
The Hotel Room
I can't even tell you how comfortable those beds were. temple-to-temple with shrines and gardens/parks all along the way. Even though it felt like 4000 degrees to me, it really was a beautiful afternoon. For those of you who know me well, you’re aware that my internal body temperature always seems to be a little higher than normal and I sweat whenever it’s slightly warm out. Needless to say, walking around in the heat and humidity of southern Japan really did a number on me and after being in Hiroshima, I knew to bring a few extra shirts to change into throughout the day. Even so, my clothes were soaked in no time and the locals had a whole new reason to stare and giggle at me. Even though I thought it was crazy hot, everyone else was walking around in jeans and long-sleeved shirts. I guess they are used to it but I couldn’t believe I never saw on drop of sweat fall off the forehead of anyone in the city. Anyway, as I was trying to “play it cool” I met a local college student who has been studying English for the past 5 years. We had a semi-normal conversation for a couple hours as we walked around.
The View From Hotel Granvia
This is what I could see from my window. Notice the mountains behind the city. It was very cool to randomly meet someone and then spend time talking about everything from the locals sites to international politics. We parted ways and I headed back to the hotel for dinner and a shower.
I went out again that night to wander around the streets. I started off in the downtown area around the hotel and station where everything was lit-up and packed with people. I very quickly found myself on some side streets that were dark and empty but kept walking anyway because the view of the mountains in the distance was amazing. After turning around and heading back, I realized how far away I was from “downtown” and how if I were anywhere else in the world it would have been stupid and dangerous of me to go off at night, alone like that. But that is the amazing thing about Japan; not once since I’ve been here have I worried about getting mugged, lost, or otherwise hassled. Crime is almost non-existent and people leave their doors open all day and night.
They next morning I got up early and bought another bus pass to see the rest of what the city had to offer.
Mister Donut
He was very good to me that day. I first headed to the other side of town to take a tour of the old Imperial Palace. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for more than 1000 years until the emperor moved to Tokyo in 1869. As a result, the city is considered to be the cultural center of Japan and the crossroads of the country’s history. The tour of the palace grounds was lead by a guide who gave us detailed history of the different spots of the complex, which was very cool because otherwise just walking around would have gotten old pretty quickly. While there I met a woman originally from Seattle who has spent the last 5 years traveling around the world. Again, it was cool to spend the afternoon talking to a total stranger in a foreign city and hearing about her travels.
From the palace, I got back on the bus and went to Nijo Castle. The castle was built in 1603 as the residence of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. (Remember him from world history class?) Anyway, it’s an important historical site and I got to walk on the "nightingale" floors, which were constructed to squeak in order to alert the guards of any unwanted
Reflection
The sky reflecting off of the buildings next to the hotel. intruders. After a few more stops I ended my time in Kyoto with a visit to Kinkakuji Temple, or “Golden Pavilion.” The impressive building was originally a private villa until it was donated to the shogun in the 14th century. It’s famous because of the gold leaf that covers it. It is an amazing building and the reflection of the gold in the pond in front of it is unbelievable
By the time I got done with seeing everything I set out to see, I jumped on the bus to make it back to the station and catch the bullet train back to Tokyo. The trip was amazing and only made me want to see more of the country. More on how I succeed in making myself look like an idiot in other parts of Japan next time.
Until then,
PEACE
Travel Tip For The Complete Dumbass #3
“If you sweat while hot, you should probably not visit Japan. In fact, stay out of the whole Pacific Rim.” I should have known things were going to be muggy here as soon as I landed at Narita International Airport and discovered that many places in Japan don’t keep their public
The Escalators
The outdoor escalators went on forever and when you got on, it felt like it was taking you right into the clouds. buildings nearly as cool as we do in the States. Since then, I have done nothing but sweat, drink water, shower, and keep the A.C. in the apartment at 22 degrees Celsius (and since I have no understanding of the Metric system, that could be anywhere between 70 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit). The point is, if you come here, plan on changing clothes at least three times a day.
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Josiah
non-member comment
I'm just happy to see you showing off your sigep(shirt) pride in Japan. And if anyone says anything about your sweat, tell them all the cool kids in America sweat like that.